


Together Once More

by binkty



Category: Sleepy Hollow (TV)
Genre: Canon Can Shove It, F/M, First Time, Reunions, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-26
Updated: 2018-02-01
Packaged: 2018-11-05 03:16:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11004813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/binkty/pseuds/binkty
Summary: My imaginings of the post episode 3x09 Ichabbie reunion. I added in a few 3x10 details since I obviously didn't finish this until after it aired.





	1. Chapter 1

When Ichabod materialized, Abbie thought she'd officially lost it. Creating his voice in her head to give herself the semblance that she had someone else to talk to was one thing. But what else but that her last strand of sanity had finally snapped could full blown hallucinations possibly mean? And not yet ready to embrace her insanity, she wanted to ignore him. But try as she might, her eyes couldn't help but greedily feast upon this illusion of him. 

She let her gaze roam his features, taking comfort in their familiarity, and suddenly found herself filled with a deep longing. She never wanted anything as desperately as she wanted to be able to wrap her arms around the broad expanse of his shoulders. To smooth that ever present crease between his brows with her thumb, and stay the nervous twitching of his fingers. She would have given anything for it to be real. 

That's why when, in her scrutiny, she started to notice small changes in his appearance - shortened hair, a slight hollowness to his cheeks, eyes that appeared more sunken then she remembered - from when she last saw him, she dismissed it as her mind trying to find reasons why this had be genuine. But the more she took in of what she was sure she knew to be this false version of Ichabod Crane, the more she questioned whether her mind was truly as lost as she originally thought. 

A budding hope started to radiate within her at the look on his face, as if he were a man adrift at sea and now, finally, here was land in the distance. She started to let herself believe that maybe she hadn't gone crazy yet. Maybe she wasn't seeing things. Maybe this _was_ real. 

She wanted to run to him, to satiate her starvation for human contact and lose herself in the familiar comfort of his arms, but found herself unable to do anything more than stare in awed disbelief. Fear that it would all prove to be nothing more than a dream, the mirage fading away at the touch of her fingers, kept her in place and even though he looked just as desperate to run to her as she was to him, just like her, he seemed rooted to the ground. 

Time seemed to at once stretch on and stand still as they took each other in. And then as if by mutual agreement, they started toward each other. Their steps were careful at first, one tentative foot placed in front of the other, not wanting to do anything to disrupt whatever force was allowing this to happen. Yet with each step they took a fissure appeared in the dam of caution they'd erected around themselves and it wasn't long before the whole thing ruptured and the resulting flood had them hurdling themselves into each other's arms. 

He was really here. Solid and warm and _here_. Somehow he'd found her and Abbie never wanted to leave the confines of his arms now that she'd found herself in them again. Her feet dangled off the ground as Ichabod clutched her to his chest. He was holding her tighter than he'd ever had before and yet she wanted him to hold her tighter still. She dug her fingers into the fabric of his coat in her desperation, in her need to get closer, for the ability to finally feel and be felt after all this time. 

Ichabod set her back on her feet back and Abbie was happy to notice that he gave her back none of her space, only pulled his face back from where it had been nestled against her glorious curly mane so than he might look at her. Fascinated, he brought a hand up to her hair – so different from how she usually wore it – for a moment, ghosting over its kinky texture, and then turned his scrutiny back to her face. His eyes followed the hand that had been at her hair while it hovered over her face and across her shoulders as if searching for injury. His the other hand remained at her waist, keeping her close. 

Abbie watched him as he looked her over. Watched as concern slowly eased from his features making way for relief when he finished with his inspection, and couldn't help but to do a little inspecting of her own. Her thumb came up to do what it had so longed to do earlier and smoothed out that crease between his brows. Ichabod's eyes slid shut and a soft, contented sigh escaped from his lips as her hands then travelled down either side of his face, fingers combing through his beard.

She became lost in the peaceful look on his face and the next thing she knew, she was surging up onto her toes and pressing her mouth to his.

If Ichabod had been surprised by the sudden turn of events he didn't let on, immediately and enthusiastically returning her kiss, even taking control as his hand came up to support her head as she strained her neck to reach him. His grip tightened at her waist and Abbie couldn't help the groan that rumbled in the back of her throat at the feel of his tongue gliding over hers. 

Kissing Ichabod was better than she could have ever imagined – not that she would freely admit to having ever imagined it – and her senses were reeling. Everything felt so amazing. Her skin burned beneath her clothing where his hand gripped her waist and all she could think about was how she wanted that barrier gone so that his hand might roam her heated skin freely. She pressed herself closer to him and felt the evidence that this had him just as affected as she pushing back against her abdomen.

She slipped a hand up into his hair, pulling him down further in her desire for more and pressing her mouth even harder to his. Her other hand strayed down to stroke his chest. He pulled back to look at her when she started to push his coat off of his shoulders. Her eyes communicated what she wanted and he gave his reply by moving so that she could finish sliding the coat down and off his arms unimpeded. He had her up and in his arms with her legs around his waist almost before the coat had finished falling to the ground and then he was dropping to his knees, arranging his coat so that he could lay her down upon it, and bringing his lips back to hers as he settled in between her thighs.

Abbie tugged at his shirt, relishing the feel of his bare skin beneath her fingertips once she had it free and was able to slip her hands under the material. The fabric bunched around her arms as she let her hands travel up further, fingers skimming through the dusting of hair covering his pecs before reaching around to explore the expanse of his back. 

This was really happening. Desolate surroundings be damned. And it was happening really fast but they needed this. Needed the reminder each assuring touch provided to prove that this was real. That they were both still alive and that they were no longer alone.

Ichabod pulled back to yank his shirt off over his head and Abbie took the opportunity to do the same. His hands were on her before she was even able to finish the movement and she sucked in a breath at how it made her stomach jump. He took advantage of the way her back came off the ground to reach under her and deftly unhook her bra and she quickly pulled the straps down her arms and then threw the garment to the side with her shirt. 

He sucked each of her nipples in turn and then let his lips travel up the column of her throat when her head tipped back. Her fingers tangled in his hair, holding him against her, and his hands moved to the button and zipper of her jeans. He pulled back so that he could strip her of her jeans and underwear and she sat up to help him by yanking her boots off her feet so that he would have a clear path.

Finally bare, Abbie lay back down, pulling Ichabod down with her by a hand at the back of his neck. She kissed him hungrily, chasing the taste of him, and her hands moved down to the buttons on his trousers, pushing the trousers down just enough to release him once she had them all undone. 

He entered her with one solid thrust and they both cried out from the pleasure of it. He set an ambitious pace and she let herself become lost to sensation, holding on to him for dear life as he drove her closer and closer to the edge with each blissful thrust. 

Her knees inched up his sides, allowing him to drive in deeper, and it was only a few thrusts after that that she was coming, fingers of one hand fisting in his hair as those of the other dug into his shoulder, crying out to high heaven. Ichabod groaned against the side of her neck, shuddering in her arms as he gave in to his own release with a few more forceful thrusts. 

They stayed motionless for a long moment, waiting as their breathing gradually evened out, their bodies slowly relaxing, and then Ichabod made to move off of her. Abbie only hugged him tighter, not yet willing to give up the contact, still needing to have him close. 

She was the first to speak. "Crane," she sighed, nuzzling his face and neck, luxuriating in the gentle scratch of his beard against her skin. "You're here."

He kissed her shoulder. "I am."

She eased her hold on him, letting him pull back just enough so that she would to be able to look into his eyes. "How?"

"Miss Jenny, Young Master Corbin, and I managed to procure an object not unlike the mirror that permitted you to call upon me when you found yourself in Moloch's lair," he explained. "Except it works in the reverse. Instead of you being projected to the Archives," Ichabod paused, taking in his surroundings for the first time since he'd arrived, "I was projected to wherever it is you are." 

"Not much to look at, is it?" Abbie said wryly as Ichabod cast his eyes about the cavern she'd been calling home. She released her hold on him and he sat back, righting his trousers before blindly handing her hers as he continued to survey their environment. 

"It seems to have its points of interest," he replied, spying a wall that appeared to be etched with glyphs. He stood and Abbie smiled to herself when he didn't bother to put his shirt back on before walking over to the wall in question. 

"This appears to be the same language as was written on the tablet." He turned toward her when he felt her appear by his side and smirked at the sight of her in naught but his shirt. "I must say, Lieutenant, this look suits you." Then as if suddenly remembering what they'd done, the smile faded and he became quite solemn. "Lieutenant…" 

Abbie shook her head before he could say anything more. "We'll talk about this – _us_ ," she said, motioning between them, "later. I promise." And to reassure him that she had no regrets about what happened, she slipped her hand into his, threading their fingers together. When the smile returned to his face, she used her free hand to point to the wall. "But first…"

He nodded, bringing his focus back to the glyphs in front of him. "But first let us get you home."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abbie reunites with the rest of the team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My brain decided it wanted to add more to this

"Jen! Hey Jen, I think he's back!"

Ichabod stirred, blinking his eyes into focus. Seconds later, the watchful faces of Jenny and Joe filled his field of vision and he blinked a few more times, shaking his head to clear it of the last remnants of wherever he had just been with Abbie.

"Crane?" Jenny said cautiously. She had taken hold of his shoulders and was eyeing him intently as if unsure he was really back. Ichabod grasped her arms in return.

"It worked, Miss Jenny. I was able to make contact with your sister." 

A relieved smile spread across Jenny's face. "She's alive."

Ichabod nodded, matching her smile with one of his own. "Very much so. Alive yet stuck in some realm consisting of nothing but dreary solitude. However after translating some text written on a wall of that desolate place, I believe we managed to find her a way out." 

Jenny's eyes shone with hope as Ichabod got to his feet. She helped steady him as he took a moment to gain his bearings and then he was on the move. 

"We must hasten to the lake to which you were taken by Pandora when the Hidden One first arrived, Miss Jenny," he called, leaving Jenny and Joe to follow quickly at his heels as he made his way toward the main exit of the Archives. "It will be there that she will make her return to our realm."

Ichabod relayed Abbie's brief explanation of the realm in which she'd found herself as Joe drove them to the lake. Of how she felt no thirst or hunger there and how she had no need for sleep despite the days wearing on and on. His voice beamed with pride as he described the device she devised to mark the passing days and then became tinged with regret as he told them of how they'd discovered time ran faster there as though a mere month had passed for them, ten months had passed for her.

Naturally, he kept the news of their coupling to himself. He was still unsure what it would mean for them moving forward as they had yet to discuss it but he remained hopeful that it was more than just a one time occurrence born of desperation. He wanted to believe that his Lieutenant shared his feelings and was finally willing to explore them.

Soon they could see the lake approaching in the distance and as they turned off of the main road and onto the lane leading up to it, Abbie became visible on its shore.

Jenny was out of the vehicle almost before it had even stopped moving, bolting toward her sister and then wrapping her arms fiercely around her when she came within reach. Her sigh of relief was echoed by Abbie. As was the smile she wore when she pulled back. And then that smile fell and she punched Abbie in the shoulder.

"Ow, Jenny! What the hell?" Abbie rubbed at the discomfort in her shoulder, glaring at her sister in confusion.

"Don't you ever sacrifice yourself like that again," Jenny replied and then pulled her back into her arms for another hug.

Abbie chuckled. "I'll try not to."

"Try nothing. You're not allowed to do it. I will kill you myself before I let you do that again." A joyful laugh bubbled out of her as happiness at Abbie's return once again filled her being. 

"Okay, okay."

By this time Ichabod and Joe had made they way over and Jenny stepped aside to allow them their welcomes. Ichabod stood back while Joe welcomed Abbie back with a warm hug and a kiss on the check and then Abbie turned her gaze to him.

For a moment it was a repeat of what happened in that other realm. Except this time it was an overwhelming sense of joy and relief that was keeping them in place. Ichabod watch her face crumple as she was suddenly overcome with emotion and then reached out to pull her into a tight embrace, cradling her head against his chest and dropping his head down to rest against her curls.

She sucked in a shaky breath, fingers of one hand twisting into the lapel of his coat while the others pressed into the middle of his back, and as she exhaled she started to let herself relax in his arms.

"I made it," she said, voice soft and quiet.

"Indeed," Ichabod replied in the same hushed tones. 

He coaxed her back just enough to be able to cup her face in his large hands and then used his thumbs to wipe away the tears that had escaped her eyes as she gazed up at him. Her hands came up to hold him at the wrists as he studied her face. His eyes paused at her lips, remembering the feel of her kiss, and he yearned to kiss her again. But he staved off such desires as Jenny and Joe were still present and they still needed to talk, permitting himself a lingering kiss to her brow instead. An act that had their little audience raising their eyebrows at each other all the same.

"Come, Lieutenant," Ichabod said, pulling away to divest himself of his coat so that he could drape it around Abbie's shoulders. He then tucked her against his side and started toward the SVU. "Let's go home."

"God! Yes please!" Abbie hugged his coat around herself tighter as she laughed. "I think a long, hot shower is in order. Followed by a ritual burning of these clothes. I never want to see them again."

"Thy will be done, Lieutenant," he vowed. "Whether in our own backyard or," he glanced back in Jenny's direction, "I'm sure Miss Jenny will avail us of the fire pit at her mobile home." 

"Oh for sure," Jenny readily agreed. "Just say when and we'll torch those things until there's nothing left but ash," she smiled.

Ichabod opened the door for her when they reached the SVU. 

Abbie paused before entering, staring up at him with narrowed eyes. "You've been using my car," she accused.

For a moment he looked like a deer caught in headlights, fingers twitching as he balked at being caught, and then he noticed the barely controlled mirth shining in her gaze and the slight quirk to her lips and he let his head droop to his chest as he let out a breath of sheepish laughter. "Yes," he replied. "It would seem I've become quite accustom to the conveniences of motorized vehicles. Though on this particular occasion, it has been Master Joe piloting your vehicle." 

"I was worried about these two driving. They've both got a little too much of a lead foot on the best of days," Joe quipped as he reclaimed his position in the driver's seat. "We were all set to take my truck until Crane noted that it's not the roomiest of vehicles."

"Fine though your truck may be, Master Joe, it would not do to arrive in a vehicle unsuited for the number of persons in our party," he smiled. 

Seeing that Jenny had slipped in beside Abbie from the other side, Ichabod made sure that Abbie was sitting comfortably and then closed the back door and took his seat in the front. He was itching to be closer to her – to gather her in his arms and keep her there always – but he was not the only one who had been missing the Lieutenant. Her sister had been just as anxious as he to see her returned and deserved this time with her. His time would come later, after the others had left. When they could finally discuss the events that had happen earlier in the day.

For now, he sat back in his seat, content in the knowledge that she was back. That after all this time, they were finally taking her home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter after this where the Witnesses have their talk and do other stuff too...


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Witnesses have their chat about what transpired in the other realm and decide how to move forward...

After apologizing for the lack of proper food and a vow that he'd head to the market in the morning so that he might make her a true meal, Ichabod ordered take-out for everyone from Abbie's favourite Chinese place and Abbie went to take her shower.

The food had arrived by the time Abbie was done in the shower and the others were setting the table and taking the food out of the bags when she walked into the room, feeling much more herself in a pair of yoga pants and a simple, long-sleeved, cotton shirt. Ichabod smiled when he saw her.

"Feeling better?"

"So much," she sighed happily. And she truly was. Her shower had been rejuvenating, doing more than just washing away the grime of that other place. The reality of everything she went through would probably hit her sometime later but for now she felt free. She was home and in the company of the people she loved most and she just wanted to lose herself in the joyful atmosphere permeating the house. 

She surveyed the spread on the table and her stomach started growling. "Though now that I've been back for a bit, my appetite's back too and I'm starving."

"Then have a seat here, Lieutenant," Ichabod said, happily holding a chair out for her, "and dine to your heart's content." Abbie dropped the bag she'd been holding against the wall just outside of the dining room and made her way over to Ichabod's offered chair.

"What's in the bag?" Jenny asked, tipping her chin in its direction.

"The offensive clothes that must be purged by fire."

Jenny laughed. "We'll take them over to my place and burn them tonight. Don't want you getting into any trouble because some nosy neighbour complains you're breaking some backyard fire regulation or something."

"Okay but can we do it tomorrow?" Abbie requested, allowing Ichabod to push in her chair as she took a seat. "Now that I'm home I really don't feel like leaving and I want to be there when they're burned."

"Yeah, of course. We can burn them whenever you like."

They kept the conversation light over dinner, everyone seeming to silently agree that it was best to just bask in the joy of being reunited and save delving into Abbie's trauma for a later time. They traded jokes and small gibes, reminiscing on old times, until most all of the food had been consumed and then they threw out the empty containers and retired to the living room. 

When Jenny caught Abbie yawning for the third time, she reluctantly decided it was time to leave. Tight hugs were given and promises were made to call in the morning to set up when they'd have Abbie's fire and then Jenny and Joe were gone, leaving the two Witnesses alone.

"So," Abbie said, smiling.

Ichabod had gone suddenly nervous. His fingers twitched and he started to question if he'd only imagined Abbie wanting to be in his orbit all night. Or if he hadn't, what if it was only because of her deprivation and not that, like him, she wanted something more? He knew what he wanted but the Lieutenant had been through a lot and he had no intentions of pressuring her into something she didn't want or wasn't ready for. Regardless of how much it might hurt, he would follow her lead with reference to which direction their relationship would take. And he needed her to know that he would not fault her either way.

The sight of her smile eased his nerves a little and helped him to find the courage to speak as he walked closer to her.

"Lieutenant, I want you to know," he started, "that no more need happen between us than that which already has if that is your wish." He took her hand gently between both of his. "I know that emotions were running high when we met in that other realm and if that was not something you truly wanted or you feel it is something you're not ready fo–"

Abbie pressed a finger to his lips to stop him from talking any further. "You don't have to give me an out, Crane," she told him, bringing her hand back down. "I don't need one. I don't want one. I'm not going to pretend that what happened between us was just emotions running high just so that we can go back to dancing around each other again." She used the fact he was still holding her hand to pull him over toward the couch so that they could sit down. 

"I had a lot of time to think while I was there," she continued. "A lot of time. And I noticed that my thoughts always kept coming back to you. Not Jenny or anybody else – not to say that they never crossed my mind but… You were the one I'd talk to, Crane. It was you I'd bounce ideas off of. You I'd play chess with. Or at least the version of you in my head," she chuckled softly. "I had thousands of conversations with you there, Crane."

Ichabod smiled, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. "I had many a rousing chat with you as well whilst you were away, Lieutenant."

Abbie let out another small breath of laughter and then sobered as she looked up into his eyes. "You were my rock there, Crane," she confessed, voice gone quiet and raspy as she fought with her emotions. "The thought of you kept me sane when I felt like I was slipping over the edge." An errant tear fell from her eye and he reached up to wipe it away as it slid down her cheek. 

Ichabod was in awe of the vulnerability she was showing him. The reality of how hard it must have been for her to allow him to witness her in such a contrasted state from her usual strength and reserve was not lost on him and he felt his heart fill with even more affection for her. She was laying herself bare before him and he'd never felt more honoured.

"And I know what I said about relationships – that they're nothing but complications and that's not something we need right now. And I also know that that's why you were saying what you were just saying. You're afraid that I might still be hung up on the complications. But while our lives might be complicated I don't think our relationship is. We fit, Crane. We shouldn't, but we do," she stressed. "Maybe it's some kind of Witness thing, I don't know, but I'm done running from it. Because all of the reasons why I would tell myself I had to keep pushing you away don't make sense anymore. If they ever really did," she added with a shake of her head. "All this to say," and here she paused, studying his features, becoming further encouraged by the open, hopeful look on his face, "I want this, Crane. I want us."

Ichabod closed his eyes and sighed, a joy like no other spreading throughout his being. When his eyes opened once more, his gaze was filled with such love and affection it caused Abbie's breath to momentarily catch in her throat. He reached out a hand to cradle her face and nothing could have stopped the smile that stretched across his lips. "Oh Abbie," he breathed, "You have no idea how overjoyed I am to hear you say such things."

Abbie nuzzled into his hand. "I'm overjoyed to hear you say that," she giggled.

Ichabod leaned forward and angled his mouth toward hers, finally kissing her the way he'd been wanting to for hours. When they parted it was only to press their brows together.

"I wanted to do that the very moment I had you once more in my arms," he admitted.

"I wanted you to too," she replied. "But I get why you didn't." She looked up at him in askance when he suddenly stood up from the couch. 

"I think this situation calls for what is referred to as a _do over_ , Lieutenant," he announced and Abbie laughed. 

"What?"

"Allow me to bestow upon you a proper welcome." He held out his hand for her and pulled her to her feet once she took it.

Abbie laughed again, placing her hands on his chest when he drew her against him. "What do you want me to do? Run and leap into your arms?"

He smiled, shaking his head. "I don't think we'll need to go to dramatics of that scale." He cupped her face in both of his hands. "But a rehashing of that poor excuse for a kiss I was forced to give you would be very much appreciated." 

Once again, Ichabod's lips descended upon hers and Abbie pushed herself up onto her toes to bring herself closer. Her hands slipped up into his hair as the kiss grew more heated and a low moan escaped from her throat.

"Much better," Ichabod said as they broke apart, both of them softly panting. 

"Take me upstairs," Abbie rasped and then squealed when, without hesitation, Ichabod bent down and scooped her up into his arms. "I didn't mean you had to literally carry me," she laughed.

"Oh but I want to. Having your weight in my arms after being deprived of your presence for the entirety of a month is a privilege I will not pass up. In fact, I may never put you down again," he grinned. 

She turned her face away from his adoring gaze as she felt her cheeks warm. "You're so corny," she chuckled. 

"Corny it may be but it is the truth all the same."

Abbie pressed her lips together in a poor attempt to keep herself from smiling. "You're gonna spoil me, Crane."

"That is my plan, Lieutenant, yes."

Ichabod pushed into her room and then immediately stopped in his tracks. Confronted with the evidence he'd been sleeping in her quarters without her permission while she was away, he suddenly felt ashamed.

"Crane, hey," Abbie called softly, guiding his face toward hers by placing her small hand against his cheek.

"Forgive me the breach of privacy, Lieutenant," he implored. "I needed to feel close to you and this seemed the only way at the time."

"Don't worry about it, Crane. I get it," she said, kissing the worry lines from his face. "Trust me. Why do you think I decided to put on your shirt back in that other place when I could have just as easily put on my own? I needed that extra little bit of closeness. And you were right there at the time. So believe me, we're good." 

The smile returned to his face. "You looked quite fetching in naught but my shirt."

Abbie bit her lip. "Yeah?"

He moved them over to her bed. "Indeed," he replied, laying her down on the mattress and then angling himself over her after joining her atop it. "I was sorry to take it back."

"Hm, well," she mused, hooking her arms around his neck, "I just might have to liberate one from you so I can wear it around the house."

"I think you'll find that one of my few shirts will be eagerly forfeited for such a worthy endeavour." 

Abbie giggled as, smiling, Ichabod brought his mouth back down to hers, the feeling of happiness coursing through them almost as dizzying as that of their mounting desire.

Their first coupling had been a frantic, frenzied thing and Ichabod was determined that this time would be different. Slow and languid was his goal. He would take his time and devote himself to learning her body, seeking out all those places that made her gasp, sigh, and cry out. He was determined she would never want for pleasure for as long as she would have him. 

He kissed her slowly, revelling in the taste of her, in the slow press and release of their lips, the easy glide of her tongue alongside his, committing everything about her mouth to memory before he took his explorations elsewhere. His lips travel along her jaw as he tipped her head back to gain access to her neck and Abbie sighed, fingers fisting in his hair in encouragement.

He groaned against the column of her throat, teeth gently scraping against her pulse point before he let his mouth close over it. The knowledge that she wanted this just as much as he did was almost too good to be believed. There was no doubt in his mind she was more than he deserved and he just thanked his lucky stars that for whatever reason she considered him worthy. 

His mouth continued it’s downward path and then ambled across her collarbone only to travel back up her neck once he got to the other side. His hands snuck up under her shirt and she arched against him as they found their way up her sides to stroke the underside of her breasts. 

Abbie felt like her body was on fire and she wanted her clothes off now. She reached down to the hem of her shirt and started tugging and Ichabod pulled back just long enough to allow her to remove her shirt and then he was back on her again before the shirt had even hit the floor, eagerly kissing every inch of newly exposed skin. 

She pressed her chest up into him when he pushed her breasts together and then buried his face in her cleavage, kissing and nipping at the flesh that spilled out over the top of her bra. She cried out when his lips found a nipple through the material and wantonly pulled the cups of her bra down to expose her breasts to him, needing that sensation without the barrier. He did her one better, sneaking his hand underneath her to unhook her bra and then flinging it off to the side.

"This is real," Abbie marvelled, head thrown back in bliss as Ichabod alternated treating her nipples to soft bites and hard, sucking kisses in turn. She felt like she could come from just this alone.

Ichabod paused in his ministrations and she looked down to meet his loving gaze. "Very real," he smiled warmly. He inched back up over her, cupping her face in his palm.

"I'm not imagining this."

"Neither of us need imagine any more." He kissed her again as if to prove his point and then started another path down her throat, on down her breastbone and to the dancing muscles of her abdomen. 

Abbie writhed under his attention. Ichabod's fingers toyed with the waistband of her pants as he nipped at her waist and drew circles around her navel with his tongue. She lifted her hips to allow him the room to slip the remaining clothes from her body if he so chose and felt his lips curl into a smile where he had them pressed against her hipbone.

He kissed his way back up her body. "Are you getting eager for things to move forward, my treasure?" he whispered.

Abbie let out a breathy laugh. "Maybe a little." She slipped her hands under his shirt as he continued to tease the skin just below her ear. "You just make me feel so good. And I want more." She pulled his shirt off over his head and arched up against his bare chest.

"Then more you shall have," he vowed, hand sliding down her body and stealing into her panties, searching out the heat held within.

She gasped. "God, yes!"

"You are positively sodden, Lieutenant," he groaned, spreading the moisture around then watching her writhe as he slowly circled her clit.

"Mmhm." Her hips rocked in tandem with his movements but all too soon his finger were gone. "No, why?" she whined.

"Patience," was the only response Ichabod gave as he shifted down the bed. He hooked his fingers into the waistband of her panties and started to leisurely peel them together with her pants off of her, remembering his promise to himself to take things slow. 

Abbie sighed as his mouth followed his hands, kissing and licking down the length of her left leg. She gripped the sheets in her hands and tried to show some control and not just yank her legs free. When he got to the bottom of one leg, nipping at her ankle as he slipped her feet free of the material, he started a torturous ascent up the other. 

"You're enjoying this way too much." Abbie's giggle turned into a moan and she arched off the bed as his lips played across the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. 

"You are not?" he asked, letting her leg fall casually over his shoulder. "I'll admit prior to our earlier jaunt it had been quite some time since I'd last partaken in amorous activities but I did not think I was so out of practice as to confuse the sounds you've been making with something other than enjoyment," he teased.

Abbie shook her head fondly. "Cocky bastard." She inhaled sharply at the feel of his breath on her most sensitive of places and a mumble of _sweet ambrosia_ was the only warning she got before Ichabod set to feasting on her with enthusiasm. 

"Oh!" Her hand went to the back of his head, fingers twining in his hair as she rocked against the movement of his lips and tongue. "Fuck, you're really good at that." She hadn't meant to say it aloud but knew she had by Ichabod's low chuckle.

"You were expecting I'd need your guidance?"

"I – fuck..." Any answer she was going to give was lost to her when he added his fingers to the mix.

His fingers pressed in and out of her as he laved at her clit, twisting this way and that, searching for that one spot inside her to make her shout. He stroked it dutifully when he found it, turning Abbie into an incoherent babbling mess above him. Her legs trembled and when he felt her starting to clench around his fingers, he trapped her clit between his lips and didn't let up until she was keening and he had to hold her down by the hips to keep her from twisting away.

He kissed her thighs soothingly and when the last of the tremors had stopped he look up to find her eyes closed and her breathing deep and even. He smiled fondly. Obviously her months of sleeplessness had finally caught up to her. 

He stood to remove the remainder of his clothing and then crawled in bed beside her. Almost immediately, she rolled to tuck herself into his warmth and Ichabod kissed her brow as he pulled the covers over them both.

"Rest well, my heart."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go! What will happen when Abbie wakes up again? ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning finds Abbie ready to make up for falling asleep the night before...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the kind comments! And for your patience while I wrestled this chapter into submission. Hopefully it's worth the wait!

It was getting on for ten when Abbie awoke and she had a moment of disorientating panic as the mid-morning sun beamed down on her through the curtains, thinking that she was back in that other realm. Her mind was quick to calm itself however, letting her senses remind her where she was. What she was lying on was much too soft to be the hard stone ground of that other place and as her eyes scanned the area, she recognized the familiar surroundings of her room.

 _Home_ , her brain supplied and she released a thankful sigh. It was then that she registered the arm around her, it having tightened its hold, and a smile tugged at her lips as she was flooded with memories from the night before. _With Crane_. She ran her hand along his arm, holding him as he held her, and relaxed back into his warmth. 

"Good morrow, Treasure," Ichabod spoke softly, pressing a kiss to her curls. "I trust you slept well?"

"Haven't slept that well in months," she joked.

"Abbie," he chided gently and Abbie had to bite her lip in a halfhearted attempt to suppress the thrill at the sound of her name, even in that tone, on his lips before apologizing for her flippant response. 

"It's true though," she insisted. "Even taking out the time I was away, it's been a very long time since I've gotten such a good night's sleep." There had been a not so small part of her that worried since her return that nightmares would plague her dreams while she slept but her mind had been blessedly blank throughout the night. 

"Well then I'm pleased to hear it." The tone of his voice gave proof to his statement and with it she felt some of the nervous tension escape his body. She suspected she wasn't alone in her worry of potential nightmares and she knew from experience he would not hesitate to jump into said nightmares if he thought he could help protect her from them. 

"I must say," he continue, placing small kisses across her shoulder, "having you in my arms proved to be a wonderful sleep aid for me as well. It seems years since I've slumbered so restfully."

She turned in his arms and was met with his serenely smiling face. "I'm sorry I passed out on you earlier."

Ichabod shook his head. "Think no more of it, Lieutenant. You needed your rest."

She searched his face and saw that he meant it. He really wasn't upset about being left hanging. It made her want to make it up to him all the more. 

She smiled. "Yeah but for the first time in months I actually didn't want to sleep." She drew lazy patterns on his chest, watching her finger as it trailed over his skin. "I had plans."

Ichabod's mouth quirked into a lopsided smile as his eyebrow lifted. "Did you now?"

"I did." Her lips replaced her fingers on his chest. She looked up at him through her lashes, coy smile twisting her lips. "Such lovely plans."

"Well, my dear Lieutenant, with us being so well rested this morn, I see nothing barring you from bringing said plans to fruition now." 

"You make a good point." He laughed when she then pushed him onto his back and angled herself over him. She took a moment to study his eyes, sparkling with such amusement and affection, and then his rarely given grin and smiled herself. It may have taken being forced to live ten months in isolation for her to finally be willing to admit it but being here with him, like this, was right. And she was determined to take advantage of every opportunity to revel in that rightness. 

She pressed her mouth to his, attempting to infuse everything she felt for him into her kiss, and swung a leg over him to straddle his waist. His hands came up to hold her but she took them into her own and pressed them down to the mattress on either side of his head.

"Those things are distracting and you already got to do your explorations last night," she said in answer to his smirk and raised eyebrow when she pulled back. "It's my turn." 

"My hands shall cease all exploration until such time you deem them fit to resume," he said, his mirth barely contained behind the faux gravitas of his voice. "By all means, Lieutenant, proceed." 

She smiled again and did just that. 

Her touch was teasingly light as her hands trailed down his arms to his chest. She locked her gaze with his as her fingers combed through his chest hair, nails softly scratching at his skin, and made sure she kept it locked as she leaned down to press a kiss to the jagged line crossing his heart.

His breath released in a soft sigh and his eyes lost their battle to remain open, his head falling back against the pillows. Abbie smiled to herself as she continued to lavish his chest with small kisses, loving this newly discovered power she had to render him helpless with desire. She could feel his length calling for attention with a twitch beneath her and her body clenched in anticipation of having him inside her again. But she did her best to ignore her own wants as she had other plans for him at that moment. 

Her kisses trailed lower as she shifted down the mattress. She familiarized her mouth with a spot on his hip and then took him in hand as she sat up to look him in the eye, delaying herself her first real look at him. Her breath caught in her throat when she finally did look down and she took a moment to admire the sight before her. His cock stood proudly, long and thick as her small hand did its best to wrap itself around it. He was beautiful, tip already glistening with precum, hard and smooth and all _hers_.

She was making to lower her head to take him in her mouth when she heard him speak, "You need not do this."

She immediately stopped in her tracks, suddenly worrying that maybe this was something _he_ wasn't comfortable with. "Do you not want me to do this?"

"Do not misunderstand," he replied. "I will gladly accept if you are willing."

The easy smile found its way back to her lips when she realized he mistook her moment of appreciation for apprehension. "I wouldn't be offering if I wasn't willing. So hush. You took such good care of me last night. Let me do this for you." He nodded and she bent over him again but stopped just short of taking him into her mouth. "And next time I get to be the one to unwrap you," she teased, letting him know she remembered he was still wearing pants when she was overtaken by sleep.

Ichabod was just able to voice an amused, "Understood," before she descended on him. 

"Christ," he breathed and Abbie moaned hearing it. She wanted to hear it again. 

She licked a slow path up his shaft, swirling her tongue around his tip when she got to the top and then taking him back into her mouth and plunging back down. Her hand massaged the length of his shaft she couldn't manage to fit into her mouth as she continued to bob up and down. 

"Abbie…"

She wasn't ready for how much better it would sound when it was her name being said in that tone. "Mmmm," she moaned deep in her throat. She released him from her mouth to stroke his length with her hands. She had never been more turned on by performing this act in her life. She shifted on the bed and returned her sole focus to his pleasure.

"Abbie, please," Ichabod managed a short while later, his voice strained in his effort to hold back his release, "I wish to be inside of you again."

Abbie let him slip from between her lips with with a pop. "That can be arranged," she grinned, manoeuvring herself into position. She lined him up and then they were sighing as she slowly sank down on him.

"God! I don't know how," she panted, "mmmm – but you feel even better in the real world." She bit her lip around a breathless giggle and used his chest for leverage as she started a leisurely rise and fall. "So good."

"Would that I could permit you to feel the ecstasy it is to be inside of you," Ichabod rasped in return. 

His hands reached up toward her and she nodded, guiding them to her chest.

"Oh yeah," she gasped as he caressed and fondled. 

Ichabod groaned, head tipping back into the pillows and hands moving to her hips as the rhythm of her rise and fall gradually intensified.

"Crane," Abbie whined, now vigorously bouncing on his lap. She grabbed his hands – threading their fingers together – to use for support as she fought to keep her frantic pace, knowing how close she was. Her grip tightened and she threw her head back as the pleasure coursing through her body reached its crescendo. 

Ichabod was watching her with a look of awe when she looked down at him again after a moment of recovery. 

"Simply divine," he murmured.

"You're telling me," she grinned. She let go of his hands to run her own up his chest as she leaned down over him. His hands moved to span her waist, guiding her body into renewed movement. She sighed into to the junction of his neck and shoulder as her hips resumed a less frenzied version of their previous rhythm, caressing his face as she trailed her nose up the side of his neck and then pressed her lips to the small patch of skin just below his ear. 

"Come for me, Crane," she whispered, wanting him to feel as good as he'd just made her feel. She took his earlobe between her teeth and gently sucked. "Mmm, fill me up, Ichabod."

"God in heaven!" Ichabod flipped her onto her back and drove into her with long, hard strokes, powerless to do anything but comply. His ardour pushed Abbie to the brink of another orgasm and before long they were tumbling into the bliss of release together. 

They lay motionless for a long while, just breathing each other in as they recovered, and then Abbie started to laugh.

"I can't believe I denied myself this for so long."

Ichabod joined in on her quiet laughter. "Fear has made fools of us both. Thankfully we were afforded the chance to make up for our hesitancy." He kissed her lips softly and then peppered his kisses all over her face before returning to her mouth. 

"We promised your sister we would telephone her when we awoke," he said between kisses. "We should do so. In a few hours." 

Abbie chuckled. "I like the way you think." She drew his mouth back to hers for another long, leisurely kiss. "You know I love you, right Crane?" she asked after pulling back.

Ichabod smiled down at her. "I do. And I hope you recognize how much I love you in return."

The grin that spread across her face was luminous even in its shyness. "I do."


End file.
